Fans went crazy for the first teaser for Disney’s live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid. Today, Ariel herself, Halle Bailey shared the first official poster for the highly-anticipated film.
Bailey took to Twitter to share the poster saying, “Words can’t describe how immensely honored I feel to play the mermaid of my dreams, Ariel in Disney’s The Little Mermaid. Come under the sea with me, in theaters May 26, 2023.”
The Little Mermaid tells the story of Ariel (Halle Bailey), the youngest daughter of King Triton (Javier Bardem), the ruler of the underwater kingdom Atlantica. Ariel, already fascinated by the world of humans, falls deeply in love with the handsome Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King) after saving him during a shipwreck and resolves to meet him in the world above water. Her quest brings her into conflict with her father and in the clutches of the scheming sea witch Ursula (Melissa McCarthy).
Directed by Rob Marshall from a screenplay written by David Magee and Jane Goldman, from a story written by Magee, Marshall, and John DeLuca. It is a production of Walt Disney Pictures and is a live-action adaptation of the 1989 animated film of the same name, which itself is loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen’s tale of the same name. It is produced by Rob Marshall, John DeLuca, Marc Platt, and Lin-Manuel Miranda, the latter of whom co-wrote new songs for the remake as the lyricist, Alan Menken is set to return as the composer for both the score and the songs.
The official teaser trailer of The Little Mermaid garnered more than 104 million global views during the first weekend following its release. It surpassed recent Disney live-action releases including Beauty and the Beast with 94 million, Aladdin with 74 million, and Cruella with 68 million. After the release of the trailer in September 2022, videos of Black girls positively reacting to it went viral.